Titan of torque

by
Graeme Fletcher, Postmedia News | November 10, 2011

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According to Canada’s foremost automotive prognosticator, Dennis DesRosiers, Canadians have purchased 18 million vehicles over the past 11 years. Of that number, just 58,000 were hybrids. The conclusion is only too clear: Many believe in driving green, but few follow through when it’s time to put up the cash. However, that could all change. The reason is a new breed of hybrid that has one thing going for it — there is no compromise. In fact, one could argue that this breed is good enough to out-strip a comparable conventional gasoline-powered ride in all areas.

The Infiniti M35h is one of a string of new releases that is embracing a new philosophy — use a regular automatic transmission instead of the traditional continuously variable transmission (CVT). Aside from doing away with the motorboating effect — an annoying trait that pegs the engine at redline under moderately hard acceleration — these cars drive normally. The other key to success is that, unlike the CVT-based units, the new breed benefits from electric assist at highway speeds. The M35h is quite happy purring along at 100 kilometres an hour on electric power alone; CVT-based hybrids have no electric benefit over 75 km/h.

Infiniti’s Direct Response Hybrid system employs a 3.5-litre V6 engine, a seven-speed manumatic transmission and an electric motor that’s sandwiched between the two, making it a parallel system. In this case, the engine produces 302 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, while the electric motor chips in with another 67 hp and, more importantly, 199 lb-ft of torque from Rev One.

The result is a net system output of 360 hp. Infiniti does not give a net torque figure, but it should be pretty close to the M56’s 417 lb-ft — in other words, V8-like power but with significantly better fuel economy. The final piece of the hybrid pie is found in the main 1.4-kWh lithium ion battery that is housed in the trunk. Yes, it does drop the trunk capacity to 11.3 cubic feet (from the 14.9 cu. ft.), but that’s the extent of the compromise.

The secret to the M35h’s proficiency boils down to a pair of clutches. The first dry clutch separates the engine from the motor; the second wet clutch sits between the motor and transmission. Depending on how the clutches are engaged and/or disengaged, the setup allows the electric motor to drive the car, the motor and engine to work together or the engine to power the vehicle alone. It also allows the electric motor to start the engine and be used to capture otherwise waste energy through regenerative braking. It sounds complicated, but when compared with CVT-based hybrids, the methodology is simpler and, in the end, more effective.

The M35h’s ability to use the electric motor at highway speeds as well as when prowling suburbia explains the 7.5-litres-per-100-km city and 6.1-L/100-km highway fuel economy ratings. That, when compared with the gasoline-powered rear-drive M37, represents a saving of 1.5 and 3.9 L/100 km in the city/highway numbers, respectively. What those numbers do not show, however, is the amount of time the M35h actually spends consuming absolutely no fuel whatsoever. A readout indicated that during the test it equated to 23% of the distance driven and that was without babying the throttle to get the best economy. The flip side sees the M35h run to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and it boasts an 80-to-120-km/h time of four seconds, which is world-class, hybrid or otherwise.

There is a dial on the centre console that allows the driver to select economy, standard and sport modes, along with one designed to minimize wheelspin in snowy weather. For the most part, the standard mode is the right choice. I found the economy mode blunted the performance edge too much, while the sport mode placed too much emphasis on outright performance, and at the expense of economy.

In terms of the drive, well, it is seamless. Catching the electric motor and engine switching function takes a lot of concentration. Only an occasional stumble on a fast takeoff gives the game away. Likewise, the ride and handling are balanced. The M’s comfort is accomplished, yet throw it into a corner and it hunkers down and obeys driver input with a rewarding accuracy.

The one facet that does give the hybrid away is the brake pedal feel. As the motor is used to do much of the braking, the pedal feels a little mushy. That stated, the feel underfoot is superior to that of most hybrids.

As for the rest of it, the M35h arrives loaded with luxury and the latest gizmos. The luxury side counts 10-way heated and cooled front seats, full leather, some delightful Japanese Ash trim that is rubbed with real silver to give it a unique lustre and a powerful Bose audio system that has 14 speakers including four mounted on the outboard edges of the front seatbacks. It really does belt out the tunes. The technology side counts adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and adaptive headlights.

In the end, the Infiniti M35h delivers luxury, excellent economy and superior performance in one attractive package. In other words, the best of all worlds and the reason the hybrid’s popularity is about to blossom.